Staff apologizes to families for lack of information

Several years after five children died under the care of doctors at Louisiana Children’s Hospital in Uptown New Orleans, a medical journal shed light on what happened and now hospital officials are addressing their response.

On Thursday afternoon, hospital executive staff offered their sincere apologies to the families of five children, who contracted mucormycosis between 2008 and 2009.

An investigation determined the fungi commonly found in soil ended up on hospital linens.

While doctors say it wasn’t the primary cause of death, it certainly didn’t help the children, who were all in critical care and had weakened immune systems.

But it’s how the information was shared with the community and the victims’ families over the years that have led some to criticize the hospital and the medical director acknowledged that blunder during a 30-minute news conference Thursday.

“This was not done to conceal anything, nor with malice or forethought,” says Dr. John Heaton. "I think in our zeal to comply or go above the standards for compliance and focusing on stopping the infection we forgot those who went before and again, we regret that.”

Several families, including the family of, 13-year-old Zachary Tyler, have filed suit against the Uptown hospital.

Heaton says they are not allowed to comment on previous or current litigation.

Following the outbreak, sweeping changes were made to prevent a similar outbreak at Children's in the future and they shared what they learned with hospitals around the country.

OFFICIALS THERE HAVE CALLED A LATE PRESS CONFERENCE TO DISCUSS WHAT KILLED THE KIDS W-D-S-U's ANDY CUNNINGHAM BROUGHT YOU THAT STORY YESTERDAY AND HAS MORE RIGHT NOW LIVE FROM THE HOSPITAL, ANDY? HOSPITAL OFFICIALS TOOK TO THE PODIUM FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES THIS AFTERNOONEXPLA INING WHAT HAPPENED, HOW THEY RESPONDED AND HOW THEY CONVEYED THE INFORMATION OVER THE YEARS. AND IN CLOSING, DOCTOR HEATON SAID, THE INFECTION CAUSED BY THAT FUNGUS WAS NOT THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF DEATH IN THESE FIVE CHILDREN, BUT CERTAINLY, DUE TO THEIR WEAKENED STATES, IT WASN'T HELPING. AS FOR THE HOSPITAL TODAYOFFICIALS SAY THE OUTBREAK LEAD TO SWEEPING CHANGES AND THE FACILITY IS SAFER NOW, THAN EVER BEFORE. REPORTING LIVE UPTOWN ANDY CUNNINGHAM W-D-S-U NEWS. THE HOSPITAL WOULDN'T DISCUSS PREVIOUS OR THESE CASES. SEVERAL FAMILIES HAVE FILED LAWSUITS AGAINST CHILDREN'S FOLLOWING THE DEATHS OF THEIR LOVED ONES.